Ulysses S. Grant statuary monument

by Keith Stanley

For the inaugural week of my “image of the week,” I feature a marvelous statuary group dedicated to Ulysses S. Grant, Union Civil War general, and his troops. The group of three elements, by sculptor Henry Shrady, sits just behind the reflecting pool on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building. The work was dedicated in 1922, 100 years after Grant’s birth.

In its entirety, the work is over 250 feet long, and consists of three major parts or groupings. The central element, a statue of Grant on horseback, is flanked on either side by scenes of Union troops in action. The northern grouping, representing a cavalry charge, is especially impressive.